ADD2769 No Wrong Door Integration Hubs extension

1.1    The No Wrong Door (NWD) initiative was developed in response to the work of the London Recovery Board in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Its overarching vision is to coordinate skills, careers and employment support so there is ‘no wrong door’ for Londoners; and to ensure that employment and enterprise provides a secure route out of poverty. 
1.2    The NWD programme was originally approved by the Mayor under cover of MD2833. In 2021, with a further decision relating to UK Community Renewal match funding and GLA additional funding until 2025 approved under MD2916. Subsequent additional funding from the GLA and UK Shared Prosperity Fund to fund additional activities for the Integration Hubs was later approved by the Executive Director – Communities and Skills, under cover of DD2624 and the Assistant Director – Skills and Employment – Delivery, under cover of ADD2681. 
1.3    The NWD programme has notably provided grant funding to Sub-Regional Partnerships (SRPs) as a contribution to their costs of establishing and delivering virtual ‘Integration Hubs’ to help coordinate skills and employment services within their localities. The Hubs launched in March 2022.
1.4    In parallel with the Hubs’ implementation, the GLA procured evaluation partner ICF to measure the impact of the programme. 
1.5    The Interim evaluation findings indicated strong evidence of the Hubs undertaking activities that would not otherwise be happening, filling a gap and meeting a need; ‘They provide a good Return on Investment, especially in terms of savings to system and wider health and well-being outcomes associated with better integration’. 
1.6    The Integration Hubs were first extended through MD3307 approved in December 2024. By extending the current phase of the programme to September 2025 it has enabled the Hubs to keep the momentum and capacity to build on their knowledge base, resource their core activities and work on sustaining their activities and funding model. 
1.7    Between April 2022 and March 2025, the GLA approved a total funding of over £2.15 million to the Integration Hubs, including contributions from the UK Community Renewal Fund and UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
1.8    In ADD2746, a total of £298,000 grant funding was committed for the first six-month extension and a further £171,000 is committed through this AD Decision, bringing the total for the financial year 2025-2026 to £469,000.          
 

2.1    The Hubs will update their 2025-26 delivery plan, first submitted in January 2025, by 31st July 2025 to review their targets for this financial year. As an example, the Hubs have committed to deliver 228 activities and events, to engage with over 1,800 residents and over 1,000 partners through activities between April and September 2025. Similar volumes, or slightly below, are expected for the second half of the year as the Hubs will also dedicate time and resources to work on sustaining their activities.
2.2    This decision confirms the commitment of £171,000 grant funding to the four Sub-Regional Partnerships to continue to support the activities of their Integration Hubs. Each SRP will receive an additional £42,750 grant.
2.3    Officers also acknowledge that more time is required to develop the next phase, in a collaborative approach, and to undertake any governance required. By extending the delivery of the Integration Hubs for a further six months until the end of March 2026, this should allow for the revised parameters of the programme to be in place and all parties ready to implement.
2.4    This will also allow officers to take the outcome of the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review and delivery of the pan-London Youth Trailblazer, which is developing close ties with the NWD programme, into account when designing the next phase. 
2.5    Extending the NWD Integration Hubs until March 2026 will also support the GLA achieving some of its key goals under the Pan London Youth Guarantee Trailblazer. The Youth Integration Networks aim to embed a more person-centred and coordinated model of youth support across London. They will be delivered through the existing NWD hubs, leveraging their infrastructure and local knowledge to ensure consistency, reach, and effectiveness across London.
2.6    Core outcomes of the youth integration networks, as part of wider pan-London Youth Trailblazer activity, include:
•    increased engagement levels with employment, education and training, and wraparound support services
•    better integration of services, and understanding of wider provision
•     increased number of referral routes between services
•    increased knowledge within these services of the support available, through training and upskilling
•    and increased capacity in the sector due to the sharing of services, better information, and more efficient referrals.
 

3.1    Section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010 provides that, in the exercise of their functions, public authorities must have due regard to the need to:
•    Eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010
•    Advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it
•    Forster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.
3.2    Relevant protected characteristics are age, disability, gender re-assignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
3.3    The Hub activities have been focused on priority groups such as: residents from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, young people with low educational attainment or special educational needs & disabilities (SEND), residents with special needs or disabilities, women returning to work, and refugees. Hubs have notably produced ‘inclusive workplaces’ toolkits, provided ‘ability not disability’ training sessions to their partners, and organised job fairs for their care leave and refugee residents. These priority groups continue to be supported throughout the Hubs throughout the extension. 
 

Key risks and mitigation
4.1    Further governance processes may impact on the timing for issuing Deeds of Variation before current agreements terminate and Hubs may pause activities until a variation is in place. A timeline has been set out to prevent this from happening and discussions are ongoing with the SRPs to clarify their governance requirements.
4.2    Granting short-term extensions to the NWD Hubs can hinder their capacity to plan for resourcing and sustainability, and key staff may leave to secure a more permanent position. The evaluation final report confirms that ‘stability provided by multi-year funding has been to the benefit of the programme’. GLA officers will take the opportunity of the extension to design the next phase of the programme with a view of providing a multi-year settlement. 

Links to Mayoral strategies
4.3    The programme aligns with commitments made in the Mayor’s Skills for Londoners (SfL) Strategy and the Skills Roadmap for London which set the direction of travel for adult education and skills in London in the last Mayoral term and beyond. In the Skills Roadmap for London, the Mayor committed to fostering a more integrated skills and employment system, including with other public services and support, through establishing the NWD Integration Hubs. 
4.4    The programme supports the implementation of the London Growth Plan and aligns with the objectives of its Inclusive Talent Strategy. It also serves as a key intervention for the ‘Supporting Londoners to Benefit from Growth’ mandate and is developing close links with the pan London Youth Guarantee Trailblazer programme, led by the GLA.
4.5    NWD, which helps Londoners access the right support at the right time to help them into good work, plays a key role supporting Objective Eight of the Mayor’s Equality Diversity & Inclusion Strategy, which aims to help Londoners at risk of marginalisation in the labour market to get the skills and support they need to secure good quality jobs.
 

5.1    The NWD budget for the financial year 2025-26 is £500,000. In ADD2746, £298,000 was committed for the first six-month extension.
5.2    This decision seeks approval for the direct award of up to £171,000 grant funding in total to lead authorities for London’s four SRPs. Each SRP will receive an additional £42,750 grant.
5.3    This expenditure of £171,000 will be funded from the NWD programme budget in 2025-26 financial year. There is sufficient budget to meet this expenditure.